Franklin fairbanks



(No Model.)

P. FAIRBANKS.

PORTABLE OR FOLDING SCALE.

N0.'326,0Z5. Patented Sept. 8, 1885..

al W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN FAIRBANKS, OF ST. JOHNSBURY, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR TO E. is

T. FAIRBANKS & 00., OF SAME PLACE.

PORTABLE OR FOLDING SCALE.

EEPEGEFTCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 326,025, datedSeptember 8, 1885.

Application filed December 10, 1884. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN FAIRBANKS, of St. J ohnsbury, Vermont,assignor to E. & T. FAIRBANKS & 00., of same place, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Portable or Folding Scales, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention aims more especially to provide a small beamscale forphysicians,chemists, or IO others, which may be readily taken apart andfolded or packed into a compact shape for easy carriage in the pocket,satchel, or elsewhere, and may be again easily set up for use whenrequired. To these ends I construct the scales I 5 with a suitablesupporting-base and a weigh ing-beam, and with standards arising fromthe base to support the beam, said standards being capable of beingfolded down against the base, while the beam is detachable from thestandards for compact package upon the base. The scale-pa11 is alsohinged to its hanger, whereby the same may be folded into compact spacewhen the scale is knocked down. By this means all parts of the scale maybe packed into a small case for easy portability, and can be readily setup into their weighing positions when desired; and my invention,therefore, consists chiefly in the construction above outlined, ashereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings annexed, Figure 1 presents a front elevation of myfolding scales set up in position for use, and Fig. 2 is an endelevation thereof. Fig. 3 shows a front elevation of the scales when itsparts are knocked 3 down or folded into compact form for portability.Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the lower part of one of the standards.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, A indicates the base, which ispreferably made of a slab 0 of wood, and B 0 indicate two standardswhich arise from the base to support the scalebeam D. The beam D isfulcrumed near the middle in a loop, a, which is suspended from thestandard A. This standard A arises, as shown in Fig. 2, from one side ofthe base, and its top is bent, as shown at b, to overhang the middle ofthe base, andis terminated with an upturned hook, c, in which thefulcrumloop (1 is suspended.

The long arm of the beam is graduated into suitable divisions, grainsbeing supposed to be indicated in the drawings, and the graduated partis provided with the movable poise e, of usual character in scales ofthis type.

The second standard, 0, rises from the cen- 5 ter of the base at the endopposite to the standard B, and in line with the plane of the beam, andits upper end is turnedinto an eye, f, into which the free end of thebeam projects, and which thus serves to limit the oscillations of thebeam, as will be readily under stood from Figs. 1 and 2.

The short arm of the beam is tipped with the usual pivots, as shown, onwhich the loop 9 hangs, and from said loop is suspended the scale-pan toreceive the material to be weighed. The scale-pan consists of twoparts,as usual the pan or plate It and the hanger z'the latter beinghooked at the top so as to be readily connected with or disconnectedfrom the loop 9, while the pan h is itself jointed or hinged to thelower end of the hanger, as shown at k in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the panmay be folded up against the hanger, as indicated by dotted lines inFig. 1 and full lines in Fig. 3, or may be swung down into its receivingposition at right angles to the hanger, as shown by full lines in Fig.1.

To form the hinge-joint between hanger and pan, a slotted hinging-lug,k, is affixed to the edge of the pan, and the wire forming the hanger tis flattened at the end and held in the slot of the lug k by a pivotalpin, Z, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Hence,when the pan is swung down intoits horizontal position,the edge of the pan or the base of the lug abutsagainst the flattened end of the hanger, which thus forms a stop to holdthe pan in the described position, as will be readily compre hended fromFig. 1..

The standards B 0 may be connected with the base A in any suitable waywhich will allow the standards to befolded down against or upon thebase. I prefer, however, to hinge or pivot the standards so as to allowthis folding movement, as well shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and I also preferto make the standards of stout wire in two sections,m a and o 1;,whiohare hinged or jointed to each other near the base by being rivetedtogether, as shown at a, and hence the upper sections, in a, of thestandards may be swung down into a recumbent ICO position, as shown inFig. 3, or raised into an upright position, as shown in Fig. 1. Thelower sections, 0 p, are bent into eyes 8, as best shown in Fig. 4,which eyes rest on the base and receive the screws t, whereby thestandards are firmly secured to the base, as fully shown in Figs. 1, 2,and 3. The lower ends of the upper sections, m n, are flattened to formspring-tongues which overlap the lower sections, 0 p, and are terminatedwith a semicircular elasping-tip, m n, which spring into engagement withthe rounded surface of the lower sections, 0 p, when raised intocoincidence, as will be readily understood from Figs. 1 and 2, and thushold the standards firmly in the upright position, as represented inFigs. 1 and 2. It will, therefore, be seen that when the standards areraised into the upright position, as shown in Fig. 1, the fulcrum-loop aof the beam may be easily hooked onto the hook c of standard B, whilethe tip of the beam is inserted in the eye f of standard 0, after whichthe hanger of the pan h may be easily hooked into the loop and the scalewill be now prepared for weighing, which is of course effected, in theusual way, by shifting the poise 0 out to the desired graduation en thebeam, and then loading the pan h until the beam is in balance. On theother hand, when it is desired to fold up the scale for package ortransportation, it is only necessary to first unhook the hanger z fromloop g, allow the hanger to swing down over the pan and place the samerecumbent on the box A, as shown in Fig. 3, after which the loop a maybe detached from hook c, and the beam with its poise and loops ,thusremoved from the standards and placed on the base, as seen in Fig. 3,after which the standards 13 C may be bent and folded down upon thebase, as also shown in Fig. 3, thus bringing all parts of the scale intoa compact space,and capable of being inclosed in a-small. neat case foreasy carriage in the hand, pocket, or satchel, as will be readilyappreciated.

Hence by this construction a small and per fectly-accurate beam-scale isproduced whose essential parts are all readily detachable without injuryto the accuracy of the scale, and may be easily set up in firm positionfor use, or conveniently folded down at any time when required to bepacked away or carried about from place to place,thercby accomplishingthe object of my invention and presenting a scale which is quitedesirable for many purposes, and particularly for the use of physicians,chemists, and travelers.

\Vhat I claim'is 1. A folding scales formed by the combination, with asnstainingbase, of supportingstandards arising from said base andcapable of being folded down against the same, and a removablescale-beam with its necessary adjuncts adapted to be suspended to anddctached from said standards, substantially as herein set forth.

2. In a folding scales, the co1nbination,with the beam and suitablesupports therefor, of the scale-pan 72., with the hanger i, formed inone piece, bent into a suspensory hook at one end and hinged at theopposite end to the scale-pan, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

3. In a folding scales, the combination,with a removable beam and asustaining-base, of Separate supporting standards pivoted or hinged ator near the base, and capable of being raised into an uprightposition tosupport the beam, or of being folded down recumbent upon the base,substantially as herein shown and described.

4. In a folding or separable scales, the combination, with a removablebeam, of a folding beam-supporting standard hinged or pivoted at or nearthe base,and capable of being placed in upright or recumbent positions,with a spring-catch arranged to hold the standard in its erect position,substantially as set forth.

5. In a folding scales, the combination,with the base and the beam withits necessary adjuncts, of folding standards made in two overlappingsections, such as m o, pivoted together, and having an engagingspring-catch, m,substantiall y as herein shown and described.

6. In a separable or folding scales, the com bination, with a base andan upright folding standard having a hook, c, of the separable ordetachable beam D, with its fulcrum-loop (1, arranged to hook onto thehook a, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a separable scales, the combination, with a base, of twostandards, B G, the standard B being provided with-hook c, and thestandard 0 with eye f, in combination with the detachable beam D, havingthe fulcrumloop (0, adapted to slip onto the hook a of one standard,while the tip of the beam is adapted to enter the eye f of the otherstandard, sub stantially as shown and described.

S. In ascales, the combination, with asupportingbase and a scale-beamand its necessary adjuncts, of standards arising from the base tosupport the beam, formed of wire bent into eyes s,which are screwed tothe base, substantially as shown and described.

FRANKLIN FAIRBANKS.

Witnesses:

DENNIS E. llZIAY, CrrAs. .W'I. ITrceiNs.

